Clara Vance’s office was quiet. She was finishing an email when her assistant, Lena, walked in with a thick folder.“Ms. Vance, the Brookfield contracts for your signature,” Lena said as she placed it on the desk.“Thank you,” Clara said. She opened the folder for her final check. Her eyes went straight to the project lead section. She froze.Her name was gone.The line read: project Lead and final Approval: M. Lockwood.Clara looked up and asked coldly, “Lena. What is this? This is wrong. My name should be here.”The smile faded off from Lena’s face instantly. Then she looked nervous and stuttered, “Oh. That….that is correct, Ms. Vance.” “Correct? How is this correct?” Clara’s voice rose into a high pitch. “The Brookfield Plaza is my project. It is our most important deal. Why is Mason’a name on it?”Lena shifted her weight and said in an apologetic manner. “I am sorry. Mr. Lockwood’s office instructed us to reassign it to him. About ten days ago. I thought you knew.”“You thought I

Dante sat on the floor of his study with crayon scattered around him. Daisy was coloring a picture of a dinosaur with a purple hat.“Daddy, look! His name is Mr. Munch,” Daisy said, as she held up the paper excitedly.“He is very handsome,” Dante said, with a huge smile on his face. “But why the hat?”“Because it is sunny! He needs a hat so he does not get a hot head.” She chirped excitedly.Dante laughed. Then his phone buzzed on the desk, which he ignored.It buzzed again and again.“Daddy, your phone is dancing,” Daisy said.“It is being rude,” Dante said. “It is interrupting Mr. Munch.” Then he got up and checked it. The caller ID said Harold Finch. Then he frowned, because Finch rarely called. “Sweetie, Daddy has to take this. Two minutes.”“Okay. I will give Mr. Minch a friend.” Daisy said absentmindedly and grabbed a green crayon.Dante answered as he walked to the window. “Harold. This is a surprise.”“Dante. I need to see you. Tonight.” The old man’s voice sounded grave over

The Lotus Group boardroom was tense. Clara sat at the head of the long table with her back straight. Mason sat at her right hand side, with a deep scowl on his face. The hall was filled with murmurs and complaints.At the far end of the table, Dante sat quietly, watching.Mr. Fitch looked around impatiently and tapped his water glass. “Order,” he said loudly. “We must have order to begin!”The murmurs did not stop. Mason was leaning towards a man named Mr. Greeves, and was speaking in a low, intense voice. And Clara was whispering sharply to Ms. Lin beside her.“I said QUIET!” Mr Finch yelled and banged his fist in the table. The room fell silent for a second. Then the whispers started again.Dante said calmly, but in a loud voice which cut through the chatter. “If anyone has a complaint or something to say, say it now to the whole room. Otherwise, there will be quiet. This is a board meeting, not a market place.”Mason scoffed loudly without turning to look at Dante. “Listen to him.

The Vertex lab was quiet, and focused. Dante stood at the observation window, watching the four patients, with Liam at his side.“Vital signs are stable across the board,” Liam said loudly as he checked the tablet on his arm. “No adverse reactions. Heart rate, blood pressure, all normal.”“Good,” Dante said softly, with his eyes not leaving the window. “And the blood work fromthe six hour mark?”“Processing now. Initial look shows elevated cellular activity, exactly what we predicted. The regeneration markers are starting to appear.”One of the nurses inside the room gave a thumbs up and Liam nodded.“So far, so good,” Dante said, then he allowed himself to take a small breath of relief. “Keep monitoring them. I want reports every two hours. The next twenty four hours are critical.”“They are in good hands,” Liam assured him.Fifteen minutes later, Dante’s inner circle gathered around in his office. Liam, Anya, Matthew, and Lewis. It was Lewis’s first time in a strategy meeting.Lia

Dante’s office at Lotus was smaller than his Vertex lab, but it had the same huge floor to ceiling window over looking the city. He sat behind his desk, looking very calm and focused with five people sitting in front of him. While Caleb stood by the window, leaning against the frame as he watched what what happening in the office.Dante looked at the group. His new Brookfield project team, which was a mix of experienced managers and fresh analysts.“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Dante said in a warm and Businesslike voice. “I know the transition has been sudden. Me Lockwood handled the project before me. Now I am handling it. Some of you worked with him. Some of you are new to me. That is fine. We start afresh today.”A woman named Patricia, who is the senior manager, noddee her head briefly and said, “we are glad to have clarity, Dr. Vance. The team has been uncertain since the board vote.”“The uncertainty ends now.” Dante said. “The first priority. Review all active c